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296 | BEYOND SPUTNIK 296 CHAPTER 17 Globalization and Science Policy What Is the Role of Globalization in Science? Modern science transcends geographical boundaries. This can only be to the good: the more widely knowledge is shared, the greater the potential for further advancement. At the same time, however, other nations’ technological advancements inevitably threaten America’s historical dominance in many primary scientific fields. As William Wulf aptly noted before stepping down as the president of the National Academy of Engineering, “Globalization has introduced both uncertainties and opportunities worldwide.”1 The term globalization is often used interchangeably with internationalization, or to describe the result of long-term internationalization. Many people also use the term to refer to the supposed homogenization of global culture. Because modernization and Westernization are often associated with the introduction of new scientific and technical knowledge, science is often accused of disrupting traditional cultures. Even within the narrower framework of U.S. science policy, globalization is at best a mixed blessing: it opens up new opportunities for international scientific cooperation, but also gives other countries the means to challenge American world leadership, thus threatening our economy and national security. The term globalization is thus charged with multiple meanings . These meanings often depend on the specific context in which the term is used. While serving as President Clinton ’s science advisor, Neal Lane defined scientific globalization as “the increasing necessity of pursuing answers to scientific questions through international collaboration and cooperation.”2 Lane thus defined the word in terms of possibilities, implications, and challenges.3 The recent decision by Intel to locate one of its chipmanufacturing plants in China is another example of globalization .4 Surely this will spawn the creation of another pool of scientists and engineers who will contribute to the advancement of research and development, and create high-level jobs in an area of the world that needs them. But it has raised concerns in many quarters that a technological edge enjoyed by the United States and a few other countries will drift into the hands of what will ultimately be a juggernaut economic competitor. This chapter looks at the opportunities and challenges for science, science policy, and the nation as a whole that are posed by the increasing internationalization of science , and of economies and cultures. Science as an International Endeavor Science has, of course, long been an international endeavor . One would expect as much, given that ideas and principles are not subject to borders and governments. One scientist’s discovery can be understood and used by any other scientist in the world. Since the scientific process builds on earlier discoveries, no scientist or group of scientists can work in isolation for very long. Historically, the United States has benefited from this borderlessness. The notion that electricity could be drawn from the clouds in the form of lightning was first tested in France, before Ben Franklin conducted his famous kite Globalization and Science Policy | 297 experiment. Indeed, Franklin made so many trips to Europe to meet with his fellow researchers that he was able to take repeated measurements of ocean temperatures in the Atlantic, thus helping to chart the Gulf Stream.5 The French king, Louis XV, took a strong interest in Franklin and his experiments. Indeed, Franklin’s science-based relationship with Louis XV is credited with helping to cement the Franco-American alliance in the American Revolution.6 Werner von Braun, one of the world’s first and foremost rocket scientists, emigrated to the United States from Germany , bringing with him the expertise that helped build the Saturn V rocket, which carried the Apollo 11 crew to the moon in 1969.7 The structure of DNA was discovered through collaboration among American James Watson, the British scientists Francis Crick and Rosalind Franklin, and New Zealander Maurice Wilkins. But international scientific cooperation is rarely easy. Political regimes change, and alliances can shift quickly. Time, distance, and language are also frequent impediments , although the transformation of English into a lingua franca (an effect of globalization) has helped break down the language barrier. Similarly, the advent of e-mail, the Internet, and the World Wide Web have largely overcome problems of distance and time. The following sections look more closely at communications technology’s impact on international science. The Internet as a Tool for Global Science The Internet has become a relatively low-cost means of easing difficulties posed by distance and time. Detailed messages can be sent through e-mail at any time of the...

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